Princeton residents took time to air their concerns at Monday’s council meeting, much of them about what was not said in council meetings.

More than 50 people attended the meeting, and more than a dozen talked about their concerns with projects in the township, such as the plans for Avalon Bay apartments and the Transco pipeline in the township.

Resident Barbara Blumenthal said she did not like the township’s, and the Williams Company’s, silence on the Transco pipeline in the township. While it only directly affects the property of about 30 residents, the mile-long pipeline expansion would affect many more, she said.

“We should be really clear that the town has a role to play…I think there really needs to be a joint effort to make sure everyone knows what is going on,” she said.

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The Leidy natural gas pipeline runs from New York to Texas and the expansion in Princeton is part of a national project to increase throughput along its length, according to its website. The plans submitted to the township have not been made public, township attorney Edwin Schmeierer said.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission governs the approval of such projects, and the proposed pipeline is still going through that process.

Princeton resident Joseph Weiss said the consent order with Avalon Bay shortchanged the township’s ability to properly review the impacts of the development and affect any changes. The size and density of the development, along with its traffic, environmental and other effects could not be addressed, he said.

“This consent order has compromised the independence of the planning board. It has subverted the legitimacy of the required planning process and it will be very hard for zoning board to say no to Avalon Bay’s new application,” he said.

The council also met in closed session to discuss the litigation with developer Avalon Bay. The company has sued the township following a rejected building application last year for a 280-unit apartment complex on Witherspoon Street. The complex would also house 56 affordable housing units, according to the consent agreement.

As part of negotiations, Lempert said the developer may submit another application this year. As a result, the developer’s lawsuit may be effectively dropped, according to the consent order. The developer would also reserve the right to open more litigation if the project were held up.

“This is the most open and transparent we can be, given the situation we are in, and given that we are trying to work out a major piece of land use litigation,” she said.

Resident Joseph Small, who also spoke at the meeting where council accepted the retirement of Police Chief David Dudeck, said the township government was starting to lose support from the public.

“I think the long line of people who spoke here tonight is a sign of failing confidence in our public officials,” he said.

The meeting also included presentations from the Princeton Arts Council and the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee on the budget. The presenter, Scott Sillars, said the township had seen savings that resulted in nominally lower taxes in the township.